Success Still Requires Focused Effort
Success Still Requires Focused Effort “Success usually isn’t determined by who has access to the best tools. It’s determined by who uses those tools with the greatest discipline.” We are living through one…
Your Decisions Resources
Leaders are paid to make the important decisions. They need to ensure that the organization’s decision making process is fact-based and inclusive otherwise it just becomes a battle of opinions. and , when it comes to opinions, the person with the most power typically wins.
Blog Posts
The Wisdom to Stop: Knowing When to Pull the Plug on a Business Initiative
The Wisdom to Stop: Knowing When to Pull the Plug on a Business Initiative Not long ago, I was facilitating an issue-processing session with a group of CEOs when one executive presented a…
Capital Allocation for Small Business Owners: Managing Your Business Like a Portfolio
During a Vistage coaching session today, I revisited a tool I’ve used many times over the years. It reminded me of something simple: Sometimes the old tools are still the best tools—especially when…
Growth Regardless of Obstacles
Growth Regardless of Obstacles: How Small Business Leaders Build Sustainable Growth in Any Economy Growing a business is rarely a smooth, predictable process. In fact, most business growth happens during seasons that feel…
The Two Most Important Things a Leader Needs to Be Able to Say
The Two Most Important Things a Leader Needs to Be Able to Say Let me share something I’ve come to believe pretty strongly over the years. There are two statements every leader needs…
Sometimes the Things You Don’t Want to Do Matter the Most
Sometimes the Things You Don’t Want to Do Matter the Most Sometimes it’s important to do the things you don’t want to do—but know you need to do. We all feel fatigue. We…
What Does Success Really Mean to You?
What Does Success Really Mean to You? Most people think they know what success is—until you ask them to define it. It sounds like a simple question: What does success mean to you?…
How CEOs Turn January Energy into Year-Long Execution Momentum
What Happens to Execution Momentum? Every January, I see the same pattern play out. Leaders come back from the holidays energized. Plans feel crisp. Whiteboards are full. Offsites are optimistic. And for a…
The CEO’s Playbook for 2026: From Ambition to Achievement
The CEO’s Playbook for 2026 Most CEOs I work with aren’t short on ideas, intelligence, or ambition. What they’re short on is clarity, focus, and execution capacity in an environment that keeps getting…
The High Cost of Short-Term Thinking
Introduction – Don’t Get Stuck in the Short-Term I’m increasingly concerned that more business leaders have slipped into short-term thinking. After years of volatility and nonstop disruption, many seem almost shell-shocked. Instead of…
Recommended Reading
Don’t Believe Everything You Think
Book Introduction Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen is a powerful and eye-opening book that challenges one of our most basic assumptions—that our thoughts are always true. Nguyen explains that much…
The Traveler’s Gift
Life has a way of testing our judgment, grit, and character—especially when you’re responsible for a business and a team. Andy Andrews’ The Traveler’s Gift reads like a parable, but it lands like…
Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday
In a world obsessed with speed, noise, and constant motion, Holiday makes a compelling case for slowing down, quieting the mind, and finding clarity in the present moment. Through stories of figures like…
The New Makers of Modern Strategy
The New Makers of Modern Strategy reminds leaders that strategy isn’t a binder—it’s a living set of choices you make under pressure. Read it to sharpen your judgment, tighten your plans, and align…
The Rules of Thinking
Running a business is a thinking sport. You win or lose on the quality of your judgments, not the volume of your activity. The Rules of Thinking is a concise, practical playbook for…
How To Be A Leader
You don’t need a louder voice or a bigger title to lead well. You need clear motives, steady habits, and the courage to do what’s right when it costs. Start there. Keep going.…
How To Be A Leader: An Ancient Guide To Wise Leadership
How to Be a Leader: An Ancient Guide to Wise Leadership Lead with wisdom, not just willpower.What if the clearest playbook for today’s toughest leadership problems was written two millennia ago? How to…
The Universal Rules of Life
The Universal Rules of Life — In My Words Why This Book Matters Life and leadership come at us fast. Whether it’s running a business, managing a team, or trying to balance family…
The Tiberias Transformation: How to Change Your Life in Less than 8 Minutes a Day
The idea is simple: the life you want grows out of the thoughts you practice and the actions you repeat. Start tiny. Repeat daily. Let consistency do the heavy lifting. In practical terms,…
You Are Now Less Dumb
You Are Now Less Dumb won’t turn you into a perfect thinker—but it will make you reliably less wrong. And that’s the real edge: fewer unforced errors, cleaner decisions, and conversations that leave…
BE (Beyond Entrepreneurship) 2.0
If you want your company to outlast your own leadership, start with BE 2.0 by Jim Collins. Use it to realign your team around enduring values, strengthen your culture, and prepare your organization…
How To Think More Effectively: A Guide To Greater Productivity, Insight and Creativity
Leaders win or lose on the quality of their thinking. This How to Think More Effectively summary is especially valuable for founders and managers who must set strategy under pressure, navigate ambiguity, and…
Jack: Straight From the Gut
Introduction Straight from the Gut is Jack Welch’s candid and deeply personal account of his journey from a young engineer to one of the most successful CEOs in business history. In this autobiography,…
Winning
In Winning, Jack Welch shares hard-earned lessons about competition, strategy, people management, and organizational culture. Rather than offering abstract frameworks, he answers the questions leaders actually face every day—how to win in the…
Skin In The Game
Taleb’s central point is clear: People should have something to lose. Not abstractly. Directly. When someone makes decisions that affect others—but carries no real risk themselves—you get bad outcomes. Poor advice. Weak systems.…
Choose The Life You Want
Choose the Life You Want –— Tal Ben-Shahar 101 Ways to Create Your Own Road to Happiness Most people treat happiness like a destination. Tal Ben-Shahar reframes it as a series of decisions.…
Leadership: Essential Writings By Our Greatest Thinkers
For leaders who want more than surface-level guidance, this anthology provokes reflection: What does it mean to lead in the face of tension, complexity, and contradiction? How do values shape action in uncertainty?…
MONEY: Master The Game
Before you invest, before you plan, before you act—you need clarity. What do you actually want? Not a vague number. A real target. Robbins emphasizes defining your financial goals in concrete terms. Income.…
Reading Excerpts
Principles By Ray Dalio
There is nothing more important than understanding how reality works and how to deal with it. The state of mind you bring to the process makes all the difference. I have found it…
On Leadership and Business Book Excerpts Sections 3-5 by Ed Robinson
I believe that business and nonprofit leaders need to think differently about what constitutes success. Besides the quality of their people, what differentiates most high-performing companies is their vision, focus, and discipline. Culturally,…
On Leadership and Business Book Excerpts Sections 1-2 by Ed Robinson
The leadership journey requires you to cogitate constantly on the role you and others should be playing. As you achieve some level of success, your business may challenge your capabilities to lead it.…
The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
Several years ago, a colleague’s comments encouraged me to revisit the book, The Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck. I am glad this happened because it resonated much differently with me twenty…
How The Mighty Fall by Jim Collins
Five Stages of Decline: Hubris Born of Success Undisciplined Pursuit of More Denial of Risk and Peril Grasping for Salvation Capitulation to Irreverence or Death “The concept of hubris is defined as…
Time Really is Money By Rob Slee
Please click on this link for the Time Really is Money Book Summary Chapter 1 – Introduction: “…most business owners spend almost all of their time on less than $50 per hour…
Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg
Introduction “Productivity isn’t about working more or sweating harder.” “…productivity is about making certain choices in certain ways. The way we choose to see ourselves and frame daily decisions; the stories we tell…
The Thinking Life by P.M. Forni
Please click on this link for The Thinking Life Book Summary Introduction: “It is bizarre how many of us have been time-profligate engaging in frivolous searches or retooling our images on social…
Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips
Introduction Lincoln stood for all that was right, honest, and self-evident. The foundation of Abraham Lincoln‘s leadership style was an unshakable commitment to the rights of the individual. The genius of leadership lies…
Beneath the Armor by Ole Carlson
Please click on this link for the Beneath the Armor Book Summary Introduction: “There are new frontiers for you to explore, markets to penetrate and a business that deserves your absolute utmost…
Reading Summaries
The Traveler’s Gift
Seven Decisions That Shape a Life—and a Legacy In your own words: A journey through adversity, personal responsibility, and the kind of leadership that transforms lives. Andy Andrews takes us on a unique…
On Leadership and Business: Parts 3, 4, and 5
By embracing the principles outlined in these sections, leaders can inspire their teams, drive sustainable success, and create a lasting positive impact within their organizations. The path to success involves not just strategic…
Fatal Illusions
By understanding the nature of illusions, their causes, and strategies for addressing them, managers and leaders can foster a more truthful, effective, and dynamic work environment. Implementing these principles helps create a culture…
On Leadership and Business: Parts 1 and 2
Leadership is not a passive role; it demands action, decisiveness, and the ability to embrace challenges head-on. The best leaders thrive under pressure and find the most demanding aspects of their roles to…
Smarter Faster Better
By understanding and applying the principles of motivation, teamwork, focus, goal setting, managing others, decision-making, innovation, and data absorption, individuals and organizations can achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness. These insights remind us that…
Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big
By focusing on quality, community, and relationships, Small Giants demonstrate that it is possible to achieve greatness without compromising values or succumbing to the pressures of rapid expansion. These companies offer valuable lessons…
Principles by Ray Dalio
"Principles" by Ray Dalio provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and practicing effective leadership. By embracing the principles outlined in the book, leaders can develop the skills and behaviors necessary to inspire, motivate,…
Manuscript Found in Accra
Paulo Coelho's "Manuscript Found in Accra" offers timeless wisdom that can guide small business owners in their journey. By embracing the cyclical nature of life, discovering inner strength, living authentically, fostering meaningful relationships,…
Lincoln on Leadership
Abraham Lincoln’s leadership principles are timeless and universally applicable. By focusing on integrity, empathy, effective communication, and a relentless drive for results, modern leaders can draw inspiration from Lincoln’s example to enhance their…
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